Page 43 - Iran

Iran in a 'full-fledged human rights crisis,' says UN rights chief Turk

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Chief Volker Turk on Thursday said that a "full-fledged" crisis is underway in Iran amid a crackdown on protesters.He said that Iran is in a "full-fledged human rights crisis" as authorities clamp down on anti-regime dissidents, reported CNN.The Islamic Republic has been gripped by a wave of anti-government protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman detained by the morality police in September allegedly for not wearing her hijab properly.Turk called for "independent, impartial and transparent investigative processes" into violations of human rights in Iran during a special session of the UN Human Rights Council, reported CNN.Authorities have unleashed a deadly crackdown on demonstrators, with reports of forced detentions and physical abuse being used to target the country's Kurdish minority group.In a recent CNN investigation, covert testimony revealed sexual violence against protesters, ...

UN's human rights body considers new scrutiny of Iran amid protests

Germany's foreign minister appealed on Thursday for greater scrutiny of Iran ahead of a special session by the UN's top human rights body devoted to the Islamic Republic's bloody crackdown on protesters. All our efforts go to the people who demand their rights with courage and dignity, Annalena Baerbock, the foreign minister, said in a statement. For these demands alone, they are killed by the hundreds, arrested by the thousands, and oppressed by the millions. The Human Rights Council was set to debate and vote on a proposal, presented by Germany and Iceland and backed by dozens of other countries, to set up a team of independent investigators to monitor human rights in Iran as protests continue. The protests were trigged by the death in mid-September of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died while being held by the morality police for violating a strictly enforced Islamic dress code. The session in Geneva is the latest international effort to put pressure on Iran over its crackdown, w

Mahsa Amini was not killed, she passed away: Iran's deputy foreign minister

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Baqeri has defended his government following the death of the 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody in September

Iran, India complete each other, says Iranian deputy foreign minister

Iran is ready to fulfil the energy needs of India, said Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri who is visiting India as part of political consultations between the two countries."Both countries enjoy different types of cooperation in the economic sphere. They are partners and complete each other --- their economies are complementary. Iran enjoys huge energy resources and thus it can provide energy supplies to India and help contribute to its energy security. India, on the other hand, is a major provider of food staples. It can contribute to the food security of Iran," Bagheri said.Prior to US sanctions on Iran's oil, Iran was significantly one of the major suppliers of oil to India. The Indian government stopped oil imports from Iran in 2019.India-Iran commercial ties were traditionally dominated by the Indian import of Iranian crude oil. In 2018-19 India imported USD 12.11 billion worth of crude oil from Iran. However, following the end of the Significant Reduction Exemption ...

West creating 'baseless, fallacious' atmosphere: Iran Minister on protests

Mahsa Amini was not killed, she passed away. We have seen the atmosphere created by some western media with regard to the development in Iran, the minister said

Iranian Ambassador denies military deployment toward Iraqi borders

The Iranian Ambassador to Iraq has denied any Iranian military deployment toward Iraqi borders, the IRIB news agency reported

Iran to draw up roadmap with Belarus to strengthen economic ties

Iran's first Vice-President Mohammad Mokhber has said that Tehran and Minsk will draw up a roadmap for expanding economic and trade relations

Iran to close all schools in Tehran for a day because of high air pollution

All schools in the Iranian capital of Tehran will close for a day because of dangerously poor air quality, the country's state television reported on Tuesday. Primary schools have been closed for the past two days in Tehran, which has over 10 million residents, but now, increasing pollution is forcing the closure of all schools on Wednesday, the TV said. Classes will continue online. Similar measures were announced for Tehran's neighbouring Alborz province. the school week in Iran is from Saturday to Wednesday. Also Tuesday, authorities urged the elderly, those who are sick and children to take precautions. Tehran's air is among the most polluted in the world and school closures because of poor air quality are a regular occurrence. The smog is mostly caused by heavy traffic as well as factory pollution and typically worsens during the cold season. Inversions commonly hover over Tehran in the winter. The city is surrounded by tall hills and mountains on three sides. As cold, stag

Iran media blames humiliating Fifa World Cup defeat in Qatar on protests

Iran was reeling Tuesday from the humiliation of starting the World Cup with a lopsided 6-2 loss against England in a match overshadowed by protests on and off the field. Hard-line Iranian media sought to blame the defeat on the unrest that has gripped the Islamic Republic since the Sept. 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the country's morality police. Iranian newspapers turned to the familiar tactic of accusing foreign enemies, including the United States, Britain and Israel, of stirring up protests to throw the national team off its game. Iran - 2; England, Israel, Saudi and traitors - 6, read the headline in hard-line daily Kayhan. The newspaper, whose editor-in-chief is appointed by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Iran's rout came after weeks of unfair and unprecedented psychological warfare against the team ... from domestic and foreign-based traitors." It added that a political media current has sought to damage the spirit of Iran's team

Iran enriches uranium to 60% purity in response to UN watchdog order

Iran has begun producing enriched uranium at 60 per cent purity at the country's underground Fordo nuclear plant, official media reported on Tuesday, describing it as a response to a resolution by the United Nations' nuclear watchdog. The increased enrichment, reported by the official news agency IRNA, was seen as a significant addition to the country's nuclear programme. Enrichment to 60 per cent purity is one short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent. Nonproliferation experts have warned in recent months that Iran now has enough 60 per cent-enriched uranium to reprocess into fuel for at least one nuclear bomb. Iran is already enriching to 60per cent purity at its Natanz nuclear facility in central Iran. Fordo is some 100 kilometres (62 miles) south of the capital of Tehran. IRNA did not give details on the amount of the enriched uranium being produced. On Monday, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Nasser Kanaani, said his country took the steps in reac

FIFA: England run riot, Netherlands leave it late, US-Wales share spoils

Day 2 of the FIFA World Cup managed to create plenty of talking points and, as some had predicted before the tournament, a lot of these were off the field as wel

FIFA World Cup 2022: Need to do better, says England after beating Iran 6-2

England got off to a great start in the first half, leading by 3-0 before adding three more goals in the second half.

Auditors in Iraq uncover $2.5 billion tax fraud from nation's authority

Auditors in Iraq have uncovered a massive scheme in which a network of businesses and officials embezzled some $2.5 billion from the country's tax authority, despite layers of safeguards. The scandal poses an early test for Iraq's new government, which was formed late last month after a prolonged political crisis. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has vowed to crack down on corruption, but few expect any senior officials or political leaders to be held accountable. The scale of the embezzlement is remarkable, even for an oil-rich country where corruption has been rampant for decades. Transparency International, a global watchdog, rated Iraq 157th out of 180 countries on its 2021 index for clean governance. The auditors' report, obtained by The Associated Press and first reported by the Guardian, suggests the theft was orchestrated by a broad network of officials, civil servants and businessmen. In Iraq's deeply-rooted patronage system, such individuals often have links to ..

England vs Iran Highlights: Almost a perfect game for ENG, beat IRI 6-2

Fifa World Cup Highlights: Southgate's England pulled in almost a perfect job as they scored six goals against Iran to win their opening match of Group B at Khalifa Stadium. Iran also pulled two back

Iran team refuses to sing national anthem at Fifa World Cup match

Iranian captain Alireza Jahanbakhsh said the team would take a collective decision on whether or not to refuse to sing the anthem in support of anti-government protesters in Iran

Iranian president slams EU, says backing terrorism not in West's interests

Raisi said "the enemy" attempted to disrupt Iran's advancements by dealing blows to the country's security and economy as well as education and production sectors

FIFA World Cup 2022 Group A and B analysis: England, Netherlands favourites

FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar: Here's a detailed analysis of which two teams will qualify for the knockouts from Group A and B of the tournament

Drone hits Israeli-linked tanker; Iran frees 2 Greek tankers

An oil tanker associated with an Israeli billionaire has been struck by a bomb-carrying drone off the coast of Oman amid heightened tensions with Iran, officials said on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Greece said Iran freed two Greek oil tankers held by Tehran since May. The drone attack on the Liberian-flagged oil tanker Pacific Zircon happened on Tuesday night off the coast of Oman, one Mideast-based defence official told The Associated Press. The official was not authorised to discuss the attack publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The Pacific Zircon is operated by Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping, which is a company ultimately owned by Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer. In a statement, Eastern Pacific Shipping said the Pacific Zircon, carrying gas oil, had been hit by a projectile some 150 miles (240 kilometres) off the coast of Oman. We are in communication with the vessel and there is no reports of injuries or pollution. All crew are safe and accounted for, the company

UK faces major security threats from Russia, China, Iran: MI5's McCallum

Britain faces major security threats from the trio of Russia, China and Iran, which all use coercion, intimidation and violence to pursue their interests, the UK's domestic intelligence spy chief said on Wednesday. Ken McCallum, director-general of MI5, added to mounting warnings from British authorities about Russia's aggression and China's growing assertiveness. He also singled out Iran as a mounting concern, saying UK authorities have uncovered at least 10 potential threats this year to kidnap or even kill British or UK-based individuals perceived as enemies of the regime. He said Iran's intelligence services are prepared to take reckless action against opponents, both on Western soil and by luring people to Iran. Last week, the UK government summoned Tehran's top diplomat in London for a dressing-down, accusing Iran of threatening journalists working in Britain. UK-based Farsi-language satellite news channel Iran International said British police had warned two of its journalis

Iranian Prez says resistance only way to counter 'greed' of the West

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said that Iran's economic, scientific and energy capacities can benefit bilateral and multilateral cooperation with other nations.